Get ready for Velocity Irish Dance, the next generation in Irish tap, Thursday, March 20, presented by the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center.

Honoring past traditions but blasting them feet first into the 21st century, Velocity breaks away from the idea of what an Irish dance show is to one that is expressive, free, fast-paced and edgy, driven by passion and pride.

The performance is set for 7 p.m. in the Alys Stephens Center’s Jemison Concert Hall, 1200 10th Ave. South. Tickets are $35, $45, $55 and $69. For tickets, visit AlysStephens.org, call 205-975-2787, or go to the ASC Box Office Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Buy tickets.

Velocity is led by Guinness World Record holder for The Fastest Feet in the World James Devine and five-time World Champion Irish dancer David Geaney. They are joined on stage by a motley crew of mind-blowing musicians and an old-school scratch DJ for a no-nonsense jam session of impossible scuffles, shuffles and every time step in between.

Described by The New York Times as an “energetic, intimate history lesson more than a sequined spectacular,” Velocity is “a multimedia show for all ages, earnestly tracing the evolution of Irish dance while toying with tradition.”